Executive Leadership
- Laura James, M.D., Principal Investigator and Director; Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical and Translational Research, UAMS; Professor, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine
- Antiño R. Allen, Ph.D., Associate Director of Pathway Initiatives, STARs Program; Professor, UAMS College of Pharmacy; Associate Dean of Pipeline and Career Development, UAMS Graduate School
- Mathias Brochhausen, Ph.D., Associate Director for Strategic Collaborations, Director of the Pilot Translational and Clinical Studies Program; Professor and Vice Chair for Academic Programs and Faculty Development, Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine
Leadership Council
The Leadership Council consists of leaders representing TRI’s programs. The Leadership Council convenes regularly to provide strategic guidance to TRI’s executive leadership and assist in charting and prioritizing programmatic, organizational and financial issues.
- Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., Liaison from the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Vice Chancellor and Director, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, UAMS
- Shelley Crary*, M.D., Associate Director, Pilot Translational and Clinical Studies Program; Professor, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine
- Geoff Curran*, Ph.D., Director, Implementation Science Scholars Program; Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy; Research Health Scientist, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System; Director, Center for Implementation Research
- Anna Huff Davis, TRI Leadership Council Community Representative
- Hari Eswaran, Ph.D., Director of Research, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation, UAMS; Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine
- Brian Gittens, Ed.D., MPA, Vice Chancellor Academic Pathways and Workforce Partnerships, UAMS; Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health
- Tiffany Haynes*, Ph.D., Director, Community Engagement; Associate Professor, Health Behavior and Health Education, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health
- John Imig*, Ph.D., Health Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program and Translational Workforce Development; Chair, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy
- Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., MBA, Director, Integrating Special Populations; Director, Office of Community Health and Research, UAMS Northwest Regional Campus; Associate Director, Community Outreach and Engagement, Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute; Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine
- Fred Prior*, Ph.D., Director, Comprehensive Informatics Resource Center; Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine
- Paula Roberson, Ph.D., Director, Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design; Professor and Chair, Department of Biostatistics, Colleges of Medicine and Public Health
- Kevin Sexton*, M.D., TL1 Heath Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program Co-Director
- Jessica Snowden, M.D., M.S., MHPTT, Co-Director, Translational Workforce Development; Division Chief, Pediatric Infectious Disease, Vice Chair for Research and Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine; Associate Director for Clinical and Translational Research, Arkansas Children’s Research Institute
* denotes TRI program directors.
Governance
The Translational Research Institute (TRI) is governed by various councils and boards that share a base of interest and support of the TRI mission. Collectively, the governance structure is composed of diverse representatives from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and external entities that provide institutional oversight, inform and guide TRI’s strategic vision, and ensure efficient resource allocation.
TRI’s governance structure ensures that translational research operates efficiently across all three TRI sites:
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) main campus in Little Rock and the Northwest Campus in Fayetteville
- Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) and Arkansas Children’s Research Institute (ACRI)
- Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS).
External Advisory Committee
TRI’s External Advisory Committee includes nationally and internationally respected scientists and thought leaders whose expertise spans the research continuum, as well as community stakeholder members. Many External Advisory Committee members also hold leadership positions at other Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) institutions. The committee conducts an annual site visit to evaluate TRI’s overall function and progress in achieving goals, provides verbal and written feedback to TRI’s executive leadership and Leadership Council, and the TRI director shares the committee’s report with the Internal Advisory Board.
| Julian Solway, M.D. (EAC Chair) | University of Chicago |
| Olveen Carrasquillo, MD, MPH | University of Miami |
| Jodi Lapidus, PhD | Oregon Health and Science University |
| Rachel Hess, M.D., M.S. | University of Utah |
| Michael Holinstat, PhD | University of Michigan |
| Clara Pelfrey, MD, MPH | Case Western Reserve University |
| W. Robert Taylor, M.D., Ph.D. | Emory University |
| Joel Tsevat, M.D. | University of Texas, San Antonio |
Internal Advisory Board
TRI’s Internal Advisory Committee is comprised of high-ranking leaders from UAMS and its partner institutions. The Committee provides a forum to facilitate collaboration and for TRI’s leadership to address any challenges that may arise in carrying out its mission. The Committee meets twice yearly with TRI’s executive leadership team.
| Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA | Chancellor, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences |
| Stephanie Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D. | Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, UAMS; Provost and Chief Strategy Officer, UAMS |
| Richard Owen, M.D. | Director/Principal Investigator for Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research, CAVHS; Associate Chief of Staff for Research, CAVHS; Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology, UAMS |
| William Steinbach, M.D. | Chair Department of Pediatrics & Associate Dean for Child Health; UAMS; Pediatrician-in-Chief, Arkansas Children’s |
| Dan Voth, PhD | Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation, UAMS; Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UAMS |
| Steven A. Webber, MBChB, MRCP | Dean, College of Medicine, Executive Vice Chancellor, UAMS |
| Peter Mourani, M.D. | President, Arkansas Children's Research Institute |
| Mansour Mortazavi, Ph.D. | Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Economic Development, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff |
| Judy Pile* | Director, Arkansas Community Health Workers Association (ARCHWA) |
| Eric Peterson, PhD* | President, BioVentures |
| Matthew Waller, PhD* | Dean, Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville |
| Laura Clark, RN, MMSc* | Vice Chancellor for Academics, University of Arkansas at Hope |
| Jackson Cothren, PhD* | Director, Arkansas High Performance Computing Center, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville |
Community Advisory Board
The TRI Community Advisory Board is a diverse group of community members who are familiar with social, mental and physical health issues for children and adults in Arkansas and have a history of working collaboratively. For the most part they are drawn from local community organizations, predominantly nonprofit, with advocacy or service missions. The Community Advisory Board members represent the racial, cultural and geographical diversity of Arkansas, serving as a voice of the communities they represent. Members of the board advise TRI on issues important to various constituencies in the state, assist TRI in prioritizing research initiatives, and increase TRI’s visibility at the community level.
| Kent Broughton, Chair | Clinton School of Public Service | Little Rock |
| Jacqueline “Jackie” Burton | Mississippi Co., AR Economic Opportunity Commission | Blytheville |
| Anna Huff Davis, Chair | Arkansas Community Health Workers Association | Marvell |
| Esther Dixon | Diamonds in the Rough of Hot Springs Women's Transitional Ministries; Personal Empowerment Recovery Coalition | Hot Springs |
| Denise Donnell | JustTalk | Little Rock |
| Heather Edwards | 100 Families Initiative | Fort Smith |
| Terra Patrom | Arkansas Spinal Cord Commission | Perryville |
| Edward "Monte" Payne | Recovery Peer Support Specialist | Little Rock |
| Mireya Reith | Founding Executive Director, Arkansas United | Springdale |
| Latosha Taylor | 100 Families Initiative; National Empowerment Center | Russellville |
| Pastor Bryant Whitted | Greater Macedonia Baptist Church | Wilson |
| Rev. Willie Wade | Difference Makers of Hot Springs | Hot Springs |
| Emmanuel Navarro | Conway Apostolic Church | Conway |
| Rev. Gregory Nettles | African American Methodist Episcopal Church | Camden |
| Lucy Capelle | Grace New Beginning Church | |
| Bishop Fred Harris | LAM Foundation | Little Rock |
*Denotes a Collaborating Partner